It is time to share a list of the best free and open-source software I found during the year 2023. Some of these programs may not be new in that they weren’t released for the first time in 2023, but they are new and have been helpful to me. It is in the spirit of sharing that I’m writing this article hoping you find some of these programs useful as well.
To begin, you may want to search for the program using your distribution’s package manager, like so:
The RHEL-based distribution users can use the yum or dnf package manager:
# yum search all package Or # dnf search all package
The Debian-based distribution users can use apt or aptitude package manager:
# apt search package OR # aptitude search package
OpenSUSE and derivatives can use the zypper command:
# zypper search package
Arch Linux and derivatives:
# pacman -Ss package
If your search returns no results, head over to the website of each tool where you will find the standalone package for download and installation instructions, along with information on dependencies.
1. SimpleScreenRecorder
You can use Simple Screen Recorder to make audio and video screencasts (entire screen or selected area). It is easy to install and use, but powerful at the same time.
We already covered Simple Screen Recorder in-depth, so just go through it and learn how to use it to capture and record the screen of your Linux computer.
2. Jaspersoft Studio
Jaspersoft Studio is a report designer program that allows you to create simple and sophisticated reports as well with charts, tabs, tables (and everything you can expect to see in a world-class report) and export them to a wide variety of formats (with PDF perhaps being the most common).
With Q&A forums and User groups, plus several samples and examples, the community website is a great resource for help to master this versatile program.
3. Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is a free source code editor developed by Microsoft that has reached a significant level of popularity among web and cloud developers who are also Linux users since it provides a nice programming environment out of the box that supports extensions to add functionality.
4. TuxGuitar
If you’re like me and music (especially the guitar) is one of your passions, you’ll love this TuxGuitar program, which will let you edit and play guitar tablatures like a pro.
5. Jitsi
Jitsi is a free and open-source audio/video conferencing and instant messaging platform for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android.
It provides complete encryption with support for protocols such as SIP, XMPP/Jabber, AIM/ICQ, IRC, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo!, Google Hangouts extensions, as well as OTR, ZRTP, etc.
6. GCompris
GCompris is a cross-platform high-quality complete educational software collection for children aged between 2 to 10, and it comes with more than 140 entertaining activities.
That helps little children learn skills such as the identification of letters and numbers, the use of the mouse and keyboard, primary algebra training, reading time on an analog clock, vector drawing, language learning through games, and much more.
7. GIMP
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a multi-platform, free, and open-source photo editing software used for image manipulation and image editing, free-form drawing, transcoding between different image file formats, and more specialized tasks.
8. FreeCAD
FreeCAD is a general-purpose 3D Computer-Aided Design program fit for use in engineering and architecture. Given the fact that FreeCAD is FOSS, it is easily customizable and extensible through the use of Python scripts.
9. Owncloud
Although not a new kid on the block in any way, I chose to include OwnCloud in this review due to its importance. As an alternative to commercial Dropbox, security, and privacy are achieved without much hassle and allow you to easily set up customized cloud storage and file-sharing solution.
We already covered installation about Owncloud in-depth here: Create Personal/Private Cloud Storage Solution in Linux
10. MediaWiki
MediaWiki is a program for creating and managing a Wikipedia-like website (in fact, Wikipedia itself is based on MediaWiki) where a community can add, remove, update, and revert entries, and authors are notified of such changes.
11. Bleachbit
You can think of Bleachbit as the CCleaner for Linux – but more powerful. It will not only recover disk space by deleting temporary or otherwise unnecessary files but will also improve Firefox’s performance and securely destroy unnecessary files to prevent recovery.
We already covered the installation of Bleachbit in-depth here: Disk Space Cleaner and Privacy Guard for Linux
12. CodeMirror
CodeMirror is a very powerful Javascript-based text editor for the web browser. CodeMirror includes syntax highlighting for over 100 languages and a robust API. If you own a website or blog that provides programming tutorials, you will find CodeMirror to be a very useful tool.
13. GNU Health
GNU Health is a free, extremely scalable Health and Hospital Information Platform, which is used by health professionals across the world to enhance the lives of the underprivileged, offering a free technique that optimizes health promotion and disease prevention.
14. OCS Inventory NG
Open Computer and Software Inventory Next Generation, or OCS Inventory NG for short, is a lightweight web application that can help network and system administrators to keep track of 1) all the devices connected to the network, and 2) machine configuration and software installed in them.
The project’s website (listed below) has a fully functional demo in case you want to check it out before attempting to actually install the program. In addition, OCS Inventory NG relies on well-known technologies like Apache and MySQL / MariaDB, making it a robust program.
15. GLPI
Often used in conjunction with OCS Inventory NG, GLPI is a multilingual, free IT asset management software that not only provides the tools to build up a database with an inventory of your network devices but also includes a job tracking system with mail notifications.
Other distinguishing features include, but are not limited to:
- Interventions in history
- Solution approval
- Satisfaction survey
- Exporting inventory to PDF, spreadsheet, or PNG formats
We already covered the installation of the GLPI IT Asset Management tool in-depth here: Install GLPI IT and Asset Management Tool in Linux
16. Ampache
With Ampache, you can set up your own home media center or online audio and video streaming application and access it from anywhere with an Internet connection.
Although it is designed as a personal application, Ampache allows for public registration if an administrator chooses to enable that feature.
17. Master PDF Editor (Paid)
Master PDF Editor is an easy-to-use pdf editing tool for working with PDF documents that comes with powerful multi-purpose functionality.
It helps you to easily add text, create and modify pdf, add images, and encrypt files. Master PDF also allows you to merge files into one or split documents into multiple files.
18. LibreOffice Draw
LibreOffice Draw is an application that is inbuilt into the LibreOffice suite that enables you to create anything from an easy sketch to a complex one and provides you the means to communicate with graphics and diagrams. With Draw, you can easily open and edit basic PDF files.
19. uniCenta oPOS
If you own a small or medium business you will undoubtedly need a Point Of Sale program. As such, uniCenta oPOS may be a lifesaver for you. It uses a MySQL / MariaDB database for data storage, and thus a single database can be used with multiple active terminals at the same time.
On top of all that, uniCenta oPOS also includes a search panel, a price-checker utility, and a tool to create printed reports.
20. OpenShot
OpenShot is a FOSS video editor for Linux that can help you create “the film you have always dreamed of” (in the words of its developers) with your home videos, pictures, and music files.
It also allows you to add subtitles, and transition effects, and export the resulting video file to DVD and many other common formats.
21. LAN Messenger
LAN Messenger is a multilingual (a language pack is needed) and cross-platform (works in Linux, Windows, and Mac) IM program for communication over a LAN. It provides file transfers, message logging, and event notifications – all without the need to set up a server!
22. Cherrytree
Cherrytree is a free and open-source hierarchical note-taking program that comes with rich text formatting, syntax highlighting, and advanced customization options. Its advanced search feature enables you to search files across the file tree irrespective of their path.
It comes with keyboard shortcuts, importing and exporting notes, syncing with cloud platforms like Dropbox, and password security to keep your notes secure.
23. FlightGear
FlightGear is an awesome open-source flight simulator tool, that is used to create a knowledgeable and open flight simulator system for use in experiments or academic environments, pilot training, an industrial engineering program, for DIY-ers to chase their chosen exciting flight simulation design, and last but surely not least as a fun, practical, and demanding desktop flight simulator for Linux.
24. MuseScore
MuseScore is an open-source and free professional music notation application that is used to create, play and print beautiful sheet music using easy to use, yet powerful interface.
25. Tmux
Tmux is an open-source Linux terminal multiplexer that allows you to run multiple terminal sessions in a single window.
It is useful for running several programs in one terminal, detaching them (they keep running in the background), and reattaching them to a different terminal.
26. qBittorrent
qBittorrent is a free and open-source BitTorrent client that helps users to download and share files over the network in a decentralized manner.
It allows users to connect to peers and seeders to download and upload files efficiently by connecting to a swarm of other users who are sharing the same file. It uses the BitTorrent protocol, which breaks files into smaller parts and allows users to download those parts from multiple sources simultaneously.
27. NextCloud
Described as “a safe home for all your data”, NextCloud was started as a separate project by one of its ownCloud’s first collaborators.
Although it raised a few sparks between him and the ownCloud community, NextCloud seems to be here to stay and compete with ownCloud as a private cloud solution to access and share your files, calendars, contacts, and office documents.
Using dozens of third-party apps available on the official App Store, you can equip your Nexcloud instance with new features and turn it into a powerful collaborative environment that cares with respect to your personal data.
28. Celestia
Because even system administrators and developers need a little distraction, you can use Celestia (a free 3D astronomy program) to navigate the universe.
Celestia serves as a 3D planetarium that seamlessly simulates various celestial objects whose position and movement are calculated accurately in real-time. It also comes with a large database of stars, galaxies, planets, asteroids, comets, and other celestial bodies.
As opposed to other planetarium software, Celestia allows you to travel throughout the solar system and the galaxy, not just the surface of the Earth. To infinity and beyond!
29. FreeRDP
If your system administration tasks include managing Windows servers via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), FreeRDP is a tool that you will want to try out.
It is described by its developers as an RDP client for Windows Terminal Services. The project is hosted on GitHub and released under the Apache license, so you are welcome to collaborate with it if you wish.
30. Flyspray
Again, I may be a little biased on this one. If you are searching for a bug-tracking and project management solution, don’t look any further Flyspray, a web-based tool powered by Apache has exactly what you need. And don’t just take my word for it: even ArchLinux uses Flyspray for bug-tracking.
Flyspray is a lightweight bug-tracking system written in PHP that runs on any OS and focuses on a very intuitive design allowing you to handle multiple projects at once.
It supports MySQL or PostgreSQL as database servers and provides voting functionality, email notifications (requires a separate mail server to be installed and configured), and optional Single-Sign-On (SSO) using a Facebook or Google account.
31. GNUCash
If you have been using a spreadsheet to keep track of your personal, family, or business finances, it may be time to try a more suitable solution such as GNUCash.
This FOSS accounting software allows you to keep an eye on your bank accounts, expenses, and income and to create custom, complete reports with this data. Its user-friendly interface is a plus to the solid accounting principles GNUCash uses under the hood.
The official website includes an exhaustive FAQ section, the application Manual, and a Tutorial guide. With these materials, learning how to use GNUCash will be a play in the park. On top of that, you can subscribe to the mailing lists in case you need help or run into any problems with GNUCash.
Like many other open-source projects, GnuCash is entirely developed, maintained, and translated entirely by volunteers and enthusiasts.
31. LogicalDOC
Both available as Enterprise (paid) and Community editions, LogicalDOC is an award-winning, web-based Document Management System (DMS). As such, it aims to provide a high-quality method for sharing business documents and records in a low-cost and secure way.
Additionally, LogicalDOC allows you to control access to these resources via security roles, and to easily track changes through version control. LogicalDOC can be installed both on a single computer in standalone mode, on a dedicated server as a shared service, or as a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution.
LogicalDOC comes with features for content processing and information management that are more suitable for enterprises and businesses but it’s also great for personal use.
33. Blender
If you are into game development, video editing, or 3D modeling, I am sure you must have already heard about this tool. If you are considering any of these activities either as a hobby or a career change and haven’t heard about Blender, it is definitely time to check it out.
As a FOSS solution, it does not come short when compared to commercial tools. On top of it, Blender is cross-platform which means you can not only run it on Linux but also on macOS and Windows.
Among the standard Blender features, you can find rendering, 3D modeling, digital sculpting, video editing, and simulation tools.
34. DVDStyler
DVDStyler is a cross-platform, FOSS DVD authoring tool that allows you to create nice-looking and professional DVDs with your video and image files.
As such, DVDStyler allows you to create your own interactive menus or choose from the built-in ones, add subtitle and audio files, and use video files in different formats. Additionally, you can create photo slideshows and place graphic objects like buttons, text, images, and so on.
In addition, this awesome tool integrates with your DVD burner to burn the disk from within the same application.
35. OSQuery
As its name suggests, OSQuery provides access to real-time system information in the form of tables and events that can be queried using SQL-like syntax via an interactive query console.
With osquery, you can explore your system to perform intrusion detection, diagnose a problem, or just produce a report of its operation – all at your fingertips using a single tool.
If you have at least a basic understanding of SQL, getting details about the operating system using the built-in tables in OSQuery will be a piece of cake.
OSQuery runs flawlessly on Windows, macOS, CentOS, and all other Linux OS released since 2011 and requires no dependencies.
Need yet another reason to convince you to give OSQuery a try? It was developed and maintained by the folks at Facebook.
36. KeePass
I have to deal with so many programs, websites, and services that I often forget my passwords. There is no doubt that this also happens to other Linux users, so here is the solution – KeePass. It’s a free open-source password manager that allows you to manage and keep your passwords in a secure way.
KeePass stores all of your passwords in a single database locked with a master key. That’s why you need to remember one single master key to access the database.
All passwords are encrypted using the most secure encryption algorithms. In fact, KeePass is compatible with the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES, Rijndael) and the Twofish algorithm.
Alternatively, KeePass allows you to use key files instead of master keys. You just need to always have the key file with you. For example, you can carry it on a floppy disk or USB stick.
37. PDF Mix Tool
I don’t often edit PDF files but when I do, I usually use PDF Mix Tool, which is a simple and lightweight open-source program that makes it possible to perform common PDF editing operations, such as file merging and page rotation.
Apart from that, you can also use PDF Mix Tool to generate booklets, delete and add pages to a PDF file, extract pages and even edit the PDF document information.
This tool is good for basic editing operations. If you need a more complex and powerful program, take a look at the best pdf editors for Linux.
38. Mailspring
When it comes to email management, one of my favorite tools is Mailspring, which is an open-source and cross-platform email client that allows you to create a single inbox for all your email accounts.
Mailspring is compatible with all popular email providers, including Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Office 365, Yahoo!, etc., and supports IMAP/SMTP.
The Mailspring user interface is visually pleasing and there are a few beautiful themes. It also comes with a signature editor that allows you to create custom signatures, even with images and links to social media, which looks great.
39. OpenTodoList
If you work on several projects and have a lot of tasks to do at a time, you definitely need to try OpenTodoList, which is a simple note-taking application that allows you to stay organized.
With this tool, your information is organized in libraries. A library can contain to-do lists, notes, and images that are stored locally.
More importantly, you can synchronize your information with NextCloud, ownCloud, other WebDAV services, or any third-party synchronization tool of your choice. OpenTodoList lets you keep track of your tasks and enhance your productivity in a simple way.
40. ONLYOFFICE
Many Linux users have been lacking a decent Microsoft Office alternative for years. From my point of view, one of the best replacements for the MS Office suite is ONLYOFFICE, an open-source project that revolves around office software and productivity tools.
ONLYOFFICE offers a self-hosted office suite called Docs and a free desktop editor for Linux, Windows, and macOS. Both online and desktop editors are based on the same engine and allow you to create and collaborate on documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and fillable forms in real-time.
The ONLYOFFICE suite is fully compatible with DOCX, XLXS, and PPTX files and also makes it possible to open and view PDF and DjVu files. Conversion to DOCX is available, too.
ONLYOFFICE comes with integration apps for the most popular file-sharing and document management platforms, so you can embed the online editors to enable document editing and real-time co-authoring within Nextcloud, ownCloud, Moodle, WordPress, Seafile, etc.
Summary
In this article, I have described free and open-source applications that I have found during the year 2023, and hope that it sparks your interest in one or more of them.
Would you like us to cover any of them in greater detail on this site? Have you found another great FOSS application that you would like to share with the rest of the community? Just let us know using the comment form below. Questions, comments, and suggestions are also welcome.
aMule is great too for sourcing files.
Thanks for this.
Just a note: OwnCloud and NextCloud are more or less the same thing (with the latter being a more advanced fork of the former).
Also, Microsoft VS Code is not open source. VS Codium is an open-source project (just as Google Chrome is the proprietary version of Chromium).
That is not correct.
Nextcloud diverged quite a lot from the same base code in recent years.
Owncloud focussed more on a B2B approach which you can see in their fully rewritten backend in Go.
Unfortunately, Owncloud was recently bought by Kiteworks, which is another confirmation that they want to focus on making the most money out of their customers.
https://owncloud.com/news/owncloud-becomes-part-of-kiteworks/
In the long run, owncloud for sure will change their licensing and in a few years will be dying a slow death.
Kiteworks won’t put so much money/effort into developing it even further.
They just want to milk the cow as much as possible.
Amazing I don’t use even one of those must-have applications, and my computer still works for me!
I have added some of the above applications according to my requirement thank you.
Need yet another reason to convince you to give OSQuery a try? It was developed and is maintained by the folks at Facebook.” AFAIC, that is hardly a recommendation. In fact, it is a very strong reason NOT to use it.
Hi again,
Just a few comments. Nextcloud can do all the same as the LogicalDoc, plus a lot more.
OSQuery was a new app for me. I looked for more information about it and found Lynis at that point (<- available from a standard repo in several distros). That app (or script) doesn't have a fancy UI, but it might be useful for somebody else.
Nice article, but what you would think about replacing the Visual Studio Code link with a real open-source version of it that doesn’t track the users? -> (https://vscodium.com/)
Otherways I could suggest GIMP (https://www.gimp.org/) for your list.
If only you could turn the telemetry off (even though it’s just telemetry and nothing more)
Oh wait, you can :)
Really very helpful, Thank you for sharing this information.
Can Linux run on a 2 GB ram computer?
Yes, it’s perfectly possible. You just have to use a lightweight distro.
I recommend MX Linux because it’s not only friendly to low-spec computers but also developed to be easy to use, even for beginners.
I have a small laptop/tablet with 2GB of ram and an atom cpu running mx linux fine. Just keep in mind that some tasks may be limited with low ram, like opening multiple apps at once, or having several browser tabs.
P.S: If you’re more tech savvy, I recommend using the 32-bit versions of all apps you can, especially the browser, because it eats much less ram. To give you a real example, on the above-mentioned computer, I can only work with about 3 to 5 tabs in 64-bit Firefox without the system becoming sluggish, but in 32-bit Firefox, I can work with more than 10 tabs!
Hello, I’ve tried to install and run the Celestia app but I can’t seem to get it running. What should I do? I’m on Ubuntu 18.04
Thank you for this valuable list! Much needed!
Decent list, although some of these look like they are from 1990. It might be cool to have a list of some newer programs.
Curious. The title says “Best software I found in 2020” but the last comment is from May of 2018.
Great Work!
Hello,
If you’re searching packages with dnf, remember to put
-Coperator there.Searching by via cache files saves amount of time. More information about the program:
If I look my install history it seems that I were stuck to the basics in 2019, same as before:
Well I did find a webkitGTK web browsers such as Nyxt, Scheme programming language and GNU Guile.
Which I like: Integration with other tools (plumbing), scalability, Server/daemon type software.
@Flavio Veronese:
It depends on what you want to use Master PDF Editor for. If you want it for professional work, then you do have to pay. But then you might as well get Acrobat. The Master PDF Editor free version is quite satisfactory for home use.
What about PDFEdit?
This software was abandoned in 2012.
@Flavio,
Any alternative to PDFEdit?
LibreOffice Draw is a powerful tool for editing multipage pdf files. Inkscape also works well but only manages single page pdfs.
@Flavio,
LibreOffice Draw added to the list as suggested.
Thanks
Master PDF Editor.
While it does not have all the bells and whistles of an Adobe product, it does the job of allowing users to manipulate PDFs. I’ve been using it for 3-4 years now and it has done everything I needed with PDFs.
@Dragonmouth,
Master PDF Editor added to the list as suggested…
Thanks
Please note that Master PDF Editor is neither open source nor free.
Great article!
You forget tmux I think…
https://github.com/tmux/tmux/wikisorry for my bad English…
I like most of the list even though some of the apps are somewhat outdated. Visual Studio Code looks decent but I can guarantee you that absolutely nothing beats JetBrains. It’s used by Valve, Google, NASA and pretty much all of the huge companies you can name.
I’m using only their PyCharm personally but they have pretty much all the tools you’ll ever need and quite a lot of Git open-source projects that are really useful. Strongly suggest if not switching – at least giving it a try, this is one of the best things you can do to yourself.
I can’t advise anything else though because this is the one I use exclusively. Here’s a link if you want to check ’em out
https://www.jetbrains.com/.This must be a list of somebody’s favorite programs. It has remained pretty much the same since it was first published in 2015. While it is possible for 20+ programs to remain the “best” for that long, it is highly improbable.
I am sure that in the past 4 years more than a few of these programs have been replaced by better ones. Maybe it is time for new “xx best Applications I have found for 2020” article rather than just re-publishing the same one every year.
@Dragnmouth,
I totally agree with you, but we have replaced and added a few new applications in the article. If you feel that this article to be updated with new applications, please suggest few so that we will update the article.
Replaced and added new applications? I don’t see anything new, I suggested MuseScore in 2016 because it’s better than TuxGuitar, yet 4 years later TG is still on the list!
@Michale,
Added FlightGear and GNU Health. Also included MuseScore as suggested by you.
Cool article – thanks for the list and I’ll be sure to check out some of these apps in 2020 ;-)
Lemon POS sounds like something you would call a lazy coworker.
“Get back to work, you Lemon POS!”
Really helpful article.
Thank you for sharing..
Looking for open source system with customer, admin, supplier login portal..
Thank you
One program missing here is Cherrytree – is one of those programs that replaces a whole mess of other apps/programs due to its versatility. I use it for all my writing/word processing needs – logbook, inventory, poetry, story/article/letter writing, address book/contacts list, recipe book, to do/task lists, project management, notebook, and much, much more. It’s cross platform so I can use it on Windows or Linux without skipping a beat. I have yet to find a more useful, versatile program.
@Friar,
Thanks for notifying about Cherrytree note taking application, we will include in the list..
Flightgear is also pretty awesome. Check out the space shuttle. There’s lots of craft for anyone curious to dip their toes (gliders, paragliders, parachutists, pterosaur/dragon, balloons, learning planes like ercoupe, c172p/c182, j3 cub, helicopters like Aloutte-lll have AI copilot. c172p has a full tutorial, wiki has info and guides.). A lot of craft have autostart anyway, ctrl+u to add altitude. Stuff like the awesome weather system, possible physics are way better than commercial sims.
Ggraphics appear to be turned off for compatibility at the start. Try ALS renderer, detailed weather, turn up visuals and tweak environment menu.
Not interested into things you have found, it all looks like Windows after all….
Why even comment then retard, you are such a dumb, there was no need for you to even comment if you had nothing productive to say!!!
Hi,
Thanks a lot..
We work on OWNCLOUD and Visual Studio Code is the best Code editor.
So many applications I had no idea about, yet they all seem being worth the try. I’d usually use Try Direct for new stacks. It helps to quickly try demo versions of new marketing tools which appear on the market everyday.
Thanks for the list, some interesting applications. Will give CodeMirror a try. Thanks!
We used LAN messenger, but unfortunately this is an abandoned project. The office migrated to Realpopup.
Thanks for this list. I would like to mention OpenKm and Otrs as two great software too.
I really appreciate this post. I’ve been looking all over for this!
Nice list!!! will be checking some of these out! Thanks for the info! (and did you start this off with “as 2020 comes to a close”?….we still have quite a bit left of ’20 dude!!!….(Sept/Oct/Nov & Dec!!)
@Dragonmouth,
We update the old articles with new stuff regularly…
I love it when articles are updated, people should do it more often.
Came to say the same thing.
I’m using Ampache and seriously it’s amazing. Love that software specially when you’re a FOSS lover
We need Open Source Tools For Helpdesk Ticket of IT and Asset Management Tool.
Does CodeMirror have any WordPress plugin? I am using Crayon Syntax Highlighter on my site and thinking CodeMirror can be the perfect replacement for it. Thanks for sharing the information.
This a great lists of free software ! Will give freeRDP a try for sure. Thanks. If you want to add IDEs to the list, My personal favorite is PyCharm ! Lovely UI, excellent usability.
Instead of OwnCloud I would use NextCloud.
To manipulate PDF files, I use Master PDF Editor. It is part of the default install of the distro I am currently using, PCLinuxOS.
It may run on Linux and be very useful, but Visual Studio Code isn’t free software. Its licence prohibits access to source code, with few exceptions.
Thanks for this list. I would like to mention OpenKm and Otrs as two great software too.
Regards from Argentina!
Very nice list. The Simple Screen Recorder is an awesome application, that I use often to record video tutorials. Some of the other applications I did not know, and I will try some of them surely.
Thank you!
Thanks
Good Post. Learnt about some software that can be of great use.
Thank you.
What about lazarus-ide.org?
Awsome article and well explained. I haven’t used most of the softwares but will try them now.
This word does not exist. Say software packages or applications or programs.
Don’t be a pedant, Julian. You obviously understood what Suleman meant. You can’t expect everyone to be fluent in American English. Are you as fluent in any foreign language as Suleman is in English? The article is about open source applications, not about the literary merits of Hemingway’s or Faulkner’s writings. You and Brendan Horne should stick to the subject and not be nit-picking.
Can you please tell me more about this FOSS.
My lecturer asked as to look into because people are now making millions of dollars out of FOSS.
Tell me more about it, how i can join in FOSS.
Thank you.
Great info about the open source. Thank you.
Though I am not expert in game designing. But I use Microsoft version of blender to play and make animations. It does not need 64-bit OS like unity and Unreal. That’s why blender is my favorite.
Except this, nice post. Thanks for sharing. Few are new to me and I am going to try them.
great information about the open source tools for open source web development
Thanks for the Atom tip. Will give it a try. Seems very useful.
Hello Mr. Canepa, and to all. It will be interesting to tell to others WHY, all of this foss programs are the best … With out any arguments about this topic … your list has no credibility .
Hi – long time no talk! It’s good to hear from you again, now on this site.
IMHO, I DID explain WHY I included this program on this list. If you don’t agree, please elaborate. Other readers don’t seem to agree with you.
Hi, yes, long time ago…..
You start with this “…it is time to bring you the best 10 Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) “. Ok now, for example, you say:
“OSQuery provides access to real-time system information in the form of tables and events that can be queried using SQL-like syntax via an interactive query console”.
So, OSQuery is the best FOSS (in this area) because of SQL-like and so on! There FOSS tools can not do the same ? The same observation about FreeRDP.
“ownCloud as a private cloud solution to access and share your files, calendars and contacts”. Because of that is the best ? I think is not a valid argument, to be “the best”!
“Other readers don’t seem to agree with you.” – this is not important if some of the readers are agree or not to me! Maybe they do not have time to wrote about my post, maybe they do not see what I can see, and so on. I see in many occasions, when a lot of people was wrong, and a few of them was on the right path … ;)
Maybe, a title like “10 Useful/Interesting Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Programs I Found in 2016” was better!
Anyway, despite remarks, I do realize, that your FOSS list is at least interesting!
You’re a troll, Iulian.
You make comments just to cause trouble.
Yes it is. And improves itself every day by extensions auto-updates
I like this pretty article, it grows my knowledge significantly, keep posting like this.
I also discover Dolibarr a really complete ERP and CRM to manage your company. A very active project with a lot of add-ons.
@Eldy,
That’s great to hear! Dolibarr is indeed a comprehensive ERP and CRM software solution that is worth considering for inclusion in this relevant lists.
Thanks for the update.
Just to inform you that Celestia is in the Ubuntu repository (for those who care).
Thanks.
I know that this is a minor point, but software is a collective and continuous noun, as opposed to a discrete noun (which would have a plural.
Apple is an example of a discrete noun). Hence there is no plural form of it, so “softwares” isn’t even a word. When I write blog posts I say, “pieces of software” if I need to make software plural.
Likewise, the program is a word similar (almost synonymous with software) that has a plural form, programs.
In my defense, the word “softwares” was not part of the original title of this article :).
@Ravi,
Please correct it as per Brenton’s suggestion.
Thanks!
If you consider it such a minor point, Brenton Horne, why even bring it up? You, Sir, are a Grammar Nazi. :-)
This is a techie site run and maintained by non-English speakers, not a grammar site run and maintained by Oxford English professors. If you read their articles, there are more grievous transgressions than ending a word with an unnecessary letter. The technical information provided by the articles loses no value because of the occasional grammar or spelling errors.
What do you mean by “ If you read their articles, there are more grievous transgressions than ending a word with an unnecessary letter“? Can you point out a few examples of such grievous transgressions?
“Can you point out a few examples of such grievous transgressions?”
I’d rather not but since you asked…. As I said, Tecmint is a technology site, not a literary site. So to focus on grammar, spelling and/or syntax (other than in sample commands) would be distracting. However, it would make the articles easier to read/understand if they were posted in idiomatic English. It is obvious by the phraseology and syntax that most of the articles are written by non-native-English speakers. It has been suggested by a few readers in the past that Tecmint should use a native-English speaker to edit the articles. The response to these suggestions has been a deafening silence. The users were not told that “We are working on it” or “We will not not do it because………………”, they were just ignored.
Again I wish to reiterate that the value of the technological information overrides and shortcomings in the language.
Thank you for pointing this out. If you find grammar or any other type of errors under articles written by me, I will be more than glad to be corrected. I don’t have much of a choice as to the title since that’s the prerogative of the owner of this blog. But I am open to corrections and suggestions to improve.
I was thinking that by grievous transgressions you mean serious errors in the content itself. Thanks again for your well-thought comment.
@dragonmouth. This sounds Greek to me. Since when incorrect English is called “idiomatic” English?
@Julian:
Are you so knowledgeable in all the variants of the English language spoken natively in various countries around the world that you can state unequivocally which expression is idiomatic and which one incorrect? What may be correct in American English, may not be correct in Australian English or South African English or English spoken in India. George Bernard Shaw said that “America and England are two countries separated by the same language”. The scope of that statement can be extended to include all other English-speaking countries.
Before you go Grammar Nazi on posters, you should realize that when people speak/write a foreign language, they tend to think in their native one and then translate into the foreign language. While in English a word like “softwares” may be incorrect, it may be perfectly correct in other languages.
Yes I am a grammar Nazi, only mentioned it because I run a blog too and if I made a mistake like this I’d like to think someone would correct me. Besides if it is not corrected odds are the same mistake will be made again, learning can only happen if people are corrected when they make mistakes.
I don’t think you’re a grammar Nazi. I appreciate you taking the time to point out that typo. Besides, you were very polite when you did so. So thank you! And feel free to continue doing so.
@Brenton,
Thank you for pointing that out. You are correct. “Software” is indeed a collective and non-count noun, which means it doesn’t typically have a plural form. It is more appropriate to use phrases like “pieces of software” or “types of software” when referring to multiple software applications or programs.
Jaspersoft Studio is the reporting tool integrated by Red Hat into RHEV-Manager for creating awesome reports. Helped us lot lot…
@Babin,
Thank you for pointing that out. Your expert voice is most appreciated :).
@Babin,
That’s great to hear! Jaspersoft Studio is indeed a powerful reporting tool.
You may want to take a look at MuseScore, it’s similar, albeit more advanced than TuxGuitar.
@Michael,
Thank you for the suggestion! We will keep it in mind.
Never got a notification that you responded to my post on Tuesday, May 3, 2016; yet I got a notification about a comment that was just posted today [Tuesday, April 3, 2018]…very weird!
@Michael,
Thank you for the suggestion! MuseScore is indeed a fantastic music notation software that offers more advanced features compared to TuxGuitar. I have added both of them to the list as suggested…
I loved the article, as I revealed new software or re-made software discovered that years ago he saw as LAN -Messenger.
I think it’s not the classic list published each year with the same names forever. I congratulate you, Gabriel. Very well “cured ” list!
Thank you.
@Celia,
Thank you for your kind words. Please help us spread the word by sharing this article in your social network profiles!
Thank you for the links, Gabriel!
Great article, with some excellent software to use on Linux desktop.
@Balvinder,
Thank you for taking the time to comment on this post. Feel free to share!
Awesome post I found some new software that haven’t seen before…
Some of this new software is awesome definitely amazing. I also use Gimp and Libreo Office (I used Microsoft Word, Excel, etc alternative).
Thanks for sharing.
Very good software recommendations, but I did not even know some of them…
Thank you
Allan
@Jason,
Thanks for informing us, we already sent a legal notice to the admin of the website and the article has been taken down…
Hi,
This a very nice article. A pleasure to read. Thank you.
Bests
Do you understand what Open Source means? Cause this…
3. Visual Studio Code
Tells me that you don’t. VSC is distributed by Microsoft. First of all, that’s an immediate red flag and a no-go for it being free as in freedom.
But is it at least Open Source, in the sense that you can see the source code? No. Even the Javascript is minified and obfuscated to hell with a big fat “ALL RIGHTS RESERVED” notice slapped on top of it.
It’s literally the opposite of Open Source and everything the FSF stands for.
Visual Studio Code from Microsoft is included?
I don’t think you understand what Open Source means, let alone the difference between Open Source and the FSF’s definition of ‘free’ (Free as in freedom).
Microsoft does not make free software. They don’t even make Open Source software. They are a company with the singular goal of profit, so why would they ever release their proprietary code?
Even the javascript found in the distribution is crushed down into a single line with the comment “Copyright Microsoft Corporation, all rights reserved.” above it.
VSC is the exact opposite of open-source.
@Braden,
A clarification is worthy and well.
vscode is released under an MIT License (recognized as compatible with the GPL, see http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html) and the source code is available on GitHub: https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode.
Visual Studio Code has a different license, and we will update this article to reflect the differences as explained here: https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode/issues/60#issuecomment-161792005
Thanks for pointing that out.
Thank you very much for this article, I have found some wonderful software to use.
Great article, lots of useful open-source software to use…
A very nice article. A pleasure to read. Thank you.
There are three other applications which I think are excellent, I use them daily; Libreoffice, Gimp, and Bluefish.
Thanks for the article, I have found some wonderful software to use.
Thanks for these tips – a good selection and I shall look forward to trying them out. We already use Libreoffice and Gimp on Linux Mint. I can’t remember the last time I had to fire up my Windows 10 laptop!
@Jane,
You’re welcome! I’m glad the tips were helpful to you. If you have any more software recommendations, feel free to mention them here. I would love to add them to the article.